


listen to you

by kosmokuns



Series: gorgeously delicate [4]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Angst, Arguing, But also, Concussions, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Miscommunication, crash, in this, just be warned, there is a big
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:15:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kosmokuns/pseuds/kosmokuns
Summary: callum and mick get into a fight over mick's family and status, then the worst happens. both of them open up to people that mean a lot to them. featuring marcus and his kitten enzo.
Relationships: Callum Ilott/Mick Schumacher
Series: gorgeously delicate [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2133009
Comments: 7
Kudos: 75





	listen to you

**Author's Note:**

> anon asked: hi, can you write a story of callum and mick where they are fighting and callum has a accident in a race and gets injured?

Callum watches Mick pace his bedroom from the bed, lying curled to the side with his head on his pillow. Geneva has become one of his favourite places in the world because so much of it reminds him of Mick. Little cafés and freezing dips in the lake and murmured French on Mick’s navy sheets are saving graces from the world of F1, and Maranello. The crispness of the air here juxtaposes the humidity of Italy and gives him new life, a blessing from mother nature herself. Mick, however, easily gets stir-crazy, feeling oppressed by the spotlessness of it all and the proximity to his family. Callum realised the reason why Mick doesn’t talk about his family and spends all his time away is because he can’t handle them. He doesn’t _know_ how to handle them. Callum’s visited here at least six times by now and still hasn’t met them, Mick preferring to pop out by himself to see them separately for a few hours at a time.

However, the next time Callum is here, in four days after the race weekend, he will be meeting Gina and her boyfriend Iain for the first time. He’s relaxed, having them think well of him is nice, but it isn’t a dealbreaker to Callum. He knows because of his sexuality, because he’s a man and so is Mick, people will be biased against him without knowing him. It’s something he made peace with a long time ago. To Mick, though, it’s his family. He cares massively.

“Darling, you’re overthinking this. It’s going to be fine,” Callum tells him, voice soft like the warm glow of the bedside lamps. Mick carries on pacing, biting the nail of his thumb. Callum pats the space on the bed next to him, “Come to bed,”

“I don’t understand how you’re so chill about this,” Mick says, stopping motionless. Callum sits up and shrugs,

“It isn’t a big deal to me,”

“They’re my family, Callum, they should be,” Mick points behind him, as if they were actually there. Callum purses his lips, thinking.

“It’s just-,” He hums, “I don’t really care what they think of me.” Mick gawks at him,

“Callum, this isn’t about you, this is about what every fucking person in this country with any reputation thinks about my family, okay? Because what Gina and mum think about you, everyone else will too, so I need them to like you,”

“You’re acting like I’m going to go there and be horrible to them, I’ll be on my best behaviour, I promise,” Callum refrains from rolling his eyes. People politics was never his or his family’s thing, he went to a private school and funded motorsport, but he wasn’t high society. His family’s money was relatively new, and they lived in the middle of nowhere in Cambridgeshire – they weren’t the kind of people trying to maintain the best ladies brunch reputation or most accomplished children.

“I know you will, babe, but this is serious. If they don’t like you, no one will,” Mick explains sharply, hands on his hips.

“I don’t care if everyone in this country hates me,” Callum says, and Mick’s hands fly to his hair,

“Will you stop being so fucking selfish and just listen to me?!” He shouts, “I don’t give a fuck if you don’t care, because this isn’t about what you think. I’m already pushing it by dating a man, let alone one they all think is an asshole, so please, just do this one thing for me and act like you’re the fountain of all the charm in the world when you meet Gina,”

Callum laughs humourlessly, “This isn’t about me being a part of your family, this is about you clearing what you think is a tarnished reputation. Oh, Mick’s dating a man but he’s a cute one, so it’s okay, right? You’re using me because you still haven’t got over whatever internalised homophobia you’ve still got going on in your head. Honestly, Mick, if you can’t even bring me to your family because I’m your boyfriend and you want them to meet me, are you even ready to be dating me?”

Mick recoils, like he’s been punched in the gut, “How could you question that I love you?”

“It just seems like you’re doing this all for the wrong reasons,”

“You have no right to sit there and tell me how to live my life. You don’t know this world like I do. People are like vultures to the different, I have to work twice as hard as every other guy my age so they like me, and it would help me out a lot if you would pitch in,” Mick hisses. Callum shrugs again,

“I don’t need to prove myself to these people,” He isn’t changing his mind. Callum isn’t interested in the game Mick was born as a player in. Mick rubs a hand over his eyes,

“You know what, you’re being unreasonable and uncooperative. I’m not fighting with you over this. I’m going to my mum’s, have a good race,” Mick says, apathetic, and exits, Callum watches his body disappear through the doorframe, and hears the door slam shut behind him. He slumps backwards, whispers fuck to himself, and climbs out of bed, pulling a chunky fleece on from where it had been deposited on the floor.

There is only one person who would be awake at this ungodly hour, and it’s Marcus. Marcus who cannot keep a stable relationship for the life of him, and who’s longest commitment is the one to that fucking cat.

Pulling his macbook out of its space in the dresser drawers, Callum falls into a chair at the dining room table and hits call on Marcus’ name on facetime. Callum runs a hand through his hair, and Marcus picks up, sitting cross legged on his bed with the cat next to him.

“Alright mate, bit late for you, isn’t it?” He says, cheery as ever, and Callum can only stare at him blankly. The smile is quickly wiped of Marcus’ face, “What happened?”

“Mick and I fought,” Callum admits, “He went to his mum’s,” Marcus sucks air in through his teeth,

“That’s not good, what did you fight about?”

“He wants me to meet his sister, but not because he wants me in his family, because he wants to clear his own name of being gay. It’s like he thinks having a boyfriend makes him less gay because he’ll be in a relationship,”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really make sense.” Marcus dips a carrot baton in hummus and takes a bite, “However, you can be haughty bitch when you’re mad, so I’m betting you didn’t help,” Callum splutters,

“I just don’t care about this at all, I do not give a shit about whether some posh people in Switzerland think I’m nice or not,”

“You’re allowed to feel that, but like, this is also allowed to be important to Mick. He’s just trying to look out for the both of you, and he doesn’t want everyone breathing down his neck about you two,” Marcus gives him a wry smile, “Some stuff that he cares about you aren’t going to understand, like how I don’t get why Enzo likes fish so much, but she does so I accept it,”

“Did you just compare my adult relationship to your cat?”

“It was the only comparison I had, okay, leave me alone, but the point still stands,” Marcus points at him with the baton. Callum pinches the bridge of his nose,

“I also may have accused him of not loving me,” He scrunches his eyes shut and Marcus’ jaw drops open,

“I don’t know much about relationships but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t do that,” Marcus swallows, “Callum, that really doesn’t sound like you, is everything okay?” Marcus says tentatively. Him and Callum don’t talk about serious things, he supposes it’s a hangover from growing up in a super masculine competitive environment where everyone is trying to backstab everyone else all the time. Even so, Marcus is trying to be better about those kinds of things. Call it silly, but now he has an animal relying on him he feels somewhat more responsible. He sighs,

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve been feeling sort of stressed recently, with everyone talking about me maybe going to Ferrari and I can’t seem to switch off from racing,” Callum confesses, “I used to be able to detach myself from it, but now I can’t. I don’t know what happened,” Marcus makes a sympathetic noise,

“I mean it makes sense, you’re in F1 now, the stakes are a lot higher,”

“Yeah, but I woke Mick and I up the other night because I was pretending I had a steering wheel and was going around Spa in my dream,” Callum looks at Marcus balefully, “That’s weird.”

“It’s not weird, mate, that sounds pretty distressing for you, actually.” Marcus lets his words hang in the air and clears his throat, “I’m always here for you, if you need it,”

“Thanks, mate,” Callum says softly. He’s brought his knees up to hug them to his chest, rocking back and forth slightly, “Do you think I should text Mick?”

“I think you should, you aren’t going to fix everything by text but at least let him know you love him,” Marcus chews some carrot and strokes Princess. Callum nods,

“Okay, I will,” The cat meows loudly, “How’s it going with Enzo?”

“Well, she’s not dead yet so I’m counting it as a win. She is a needy little thing though, and she likes to cover my bed in fur,” Marcus smiles down at her, rubbing gently between her ears. Callum laughs,

“You’re properly enamoured, mate, honestly,” Marcus gives him the middle finger.

They hang up a few minutes later and Callum pulls out his phone to text Mick. His stomach twists itself into knots like a pit of snakes as his fingers hover over the keyboard, unsure of what to say. He types out a few messages and deletes them all, in the end settling for something simple.

_I’m sorry about what I said. Have a good time with your mum,_

_Love callum x_

Mick doesn’t read it.

*

Corinna takes Mick in her arms the second she opens the door for him, seeing the tears in his eyes and his red face. He drops his head onto her shoulder, letting his tears soak her t-shirt as she strokes his back and his hair with a gentle touch, soothing him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” She whispers in his ear, even after all these years, everything they’ve been through, he’s still her little boy. Still that bright eyed, mischief making child that couldn’t ever sit still and spent hours roaming their estate for rare beetles and insects just to bring them back to show her, without ever realising that they scared everyone else. He has his arms around her shoulders, pressing himself in close so that they’re closer in height than usual, like he’s trying to make himself small in her arms again. He sobs and sniffles and she takes his face between her hands to search his eyes, “Come sit down and tell me what happened, okay?”

After receiving a nod, she guides him to their living room with a hand on his arm and sits down, reaching behind to lower herself gently. She’s not as strong as she used to be. Mick flops down next to her and puts his head in her lap, rubbing tears of his cheeks with the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Callum and I fought,” He admits and squeezes his eyes shut, “I’m so _angry_ at him,” He growls, and Corinna runs a hand through his hair, tugging on the strands lightly, “He was being just so irritating, like he wouldn’t even listen to me,”

“What did you fight about?” Corinna asks, and Mick huffs,

“Seeing Gina next week… he doesn’t care what you guys think about him. Like it makes no difference to him,” She nods,

“Well, that would make sense to me, he’s in the public eye, he’s probably got used to not giving any energy to opinions that don’t directly affect his life,”

“Yeah, that’s what he thinks, but what you and Gina think is what everyone else will think. So if you don’t like him, nobody else will and we’ll both be hated even more by everyone in this country,”

“Even more? Mick no one here hates you. You get so easily trapped in your own bubble, in your head, that you don’t see what’s really there. Nobody thinks less of you because you like men, whenever I meet anyone they always mention how lovely you are, how kind you are to everyone,” She squeezes his shoulder with a manicured hand, “You don’t need to redeem yourself for something you never did wrong in the first place,”

“Mum you’re going to make me cry again,” Mick whines, swiping the back of his palm over his face, She laughs,

“It’s true, and I could never hate Callum, I can see how in love you are with him, and him with you,” Mick smiles at her, and she pats his cheek, “I watch the races for him now, you know, he seems to be quite good from what I understand, and whenever he talks about you in his interviews, he gets this misty eyed look, very cute,”

“Mum,” Mick groans, “Stop it.” She purses her lips together in a closed mouth smile,

“You’ll figure it out, you just need to talk to each other, okay?” Mick nods, opens his mouth and shuts it again. He hums,

“I’m sorry for not being around much,” He says, sincerity thick in his voice,

“It’s okay, you have your own life to live, I’m used to it,” She tells him with a warm glint in her eye, as if looking at a precious gem,

“I’ll stay until Sunday, Callum’s leaving for the race, so he won’t be back until then anyway,”

“Okay, your room is all made up upstairs,” Corinna calls out to him as he pads off and she gets a thumbs up in return.

*

They sit down to watch the race together on Sunday, not even being pissed at his boyfriend can stop Mick from wanting to watch Callum drive. He knows that Callum is in a backmarker team, but he still loves watching the little scraps he gets into with the Williams and the Haas and keeping track of the progress of the Ferrari cars as well. It was only once he started watching the races that he truly appreciated the mystique of Ferrari, and why Callum had bought into it at such a young age. Seeing Callum in that red someday would be a nice bonus as well.

Callum’s qualified P14 in Hungary, a decent lap in a car that seems to hate being driven. He provides some good entertainment for the fans with a review of his and George’s laps after quali, some good British banter with a couple of slang terms that leaves Mick hurryingly searching through urban dictionary for a meaning. Ever since Callum came out, he’s been visibly more relaxed on camera, happy to be earnest and joke around a bit more, not so tight and unsure.

They make it through the first lap, a bit of damage to the front wing of an Aston Martin for overshooting the corner but they box and it’s fine, the race continues. Daniel in the McLaren takes the lead in the tenth lap and holds it, controlling the race. Callum gets stuck where he is in P14, defending for his life against a Haas determined to come through, corner after corner. They get closer and closer, Mick on the edge of his seat, biting his nails. The commentators aren’t helping either.

_There’s Ilott again up against Fittipaldi, really trying to hang on here but the tyres are dropping off both cars rapidly. Do you think they’re on a similar strategy, Anthony?_

_Yeah almost certainly, Crofty, both teams would have to be mad to have picked anything else here._

_Round into corner five we go a sweeping turn to the right, Fittipaldi coming tantalisingly close to that Alfa. He really wants to get past here but llott is keeping that door firmly shut, some excellent driving from both of them today._

_Yeah it’s great to see the young guys going up against each other, showing off their talent. Obviously Ilott with that Ferrari backing and Pietro Fittipaldi with seemingly no way up the field here. They both want to prove themselves._

_Ilott ahead into turn 7, turn 8, turn 9 and into 10 and 11 before we reach the DRS zone. Fittipaldi is so close here, along the short straight up to turn 12 and he’s gaining fast. Ilott desperately hanging on, remember this is for fourteenth place._

_Ilott with an excellent placement of the car into 12, nothing Fittipaldi can do and oh-_

_They go into each other! Fittipaldi collides with the back of Ilott on the opening to the DRS straight, absolutely nothing Ilott could have done and they are off into the barriers at one of the fastest parts of the track!_

The cars rake up gravel as they spin and into the barriers, the entire barrier shaking as they make contact, dust flying up into the air. Mick inhales sharply, his mum reaching out to take his hand, her other covering her mouth.

_Now that, Anthony, was a big one._

Mick can hear the grimness in Crofty’s voice. The tell-tale beep of a team radio sounds, and Lewis’ face pops up on the screen.

“Who was that? Ilott and Fittipaldi, are they okay?” His voice sounds tense, having driven past them with the safety car.

“Fittipaldi is out, Ilott is not,” Bono tells him, “Keep to the delta.”

_Lewis there asking if the two young drivers are okay. We can confirm Pietro is out of the car and walking but looking at Callum’s onboards he didn’t move after he hit the barrier. The medical car has been deployed._

“No please,” Mick whimpers, “Please not him,” His phone rings and he pulls it out of his pocket. It’s Marcus, “Marcus, hi,” Mick breathes,

“He’s going to be fine,” Marcus says confidently, “Trust me, he’s going to be okay. I looked at his onboard, I think he may have knocked himself out, but nothing looks broken. Concussion at the worst,”

The picture on the screen changes to the Doctor Ian and the marshals lifting Callum out of the car and onto the floor, squeezing his helmet off his head, and lying him gently back onto a stretcher. Ian checks his pulse and gives a thumbs up to the marshals and moves him onto his side in the recovery position. Mick can pinpoint the exact moment Callum wakes up, his eyes open blearily and his mouth opening into a probably groan,

“Oh thank fuck,” Mick says to Marcus,

“I told you, he’s fine,” Marcus hangs up after that and Mick watches them carry Callum to the ambulance. The call comes in from Alfa within the minute.

“Hi Mr Schumacher, this is Jack from Alfa Romeo, you’re down as his emergency contact?”

“Yeah that’s me, hi, is he going to be going to hospital?”

“From the information we’ve received from Doctor Ian, I don’t think so. It’s appearing to be only a concussion, but I doubt he’s going to be allowed to fly, we can book you on the first flight here if you want?”

“Yes please, out of Geneva,” He hears furious typing,

“Done, I’ll send you your ticket and booking details, flight leaves in two hours,” Jack says brusquely and the call drops, the email appearing in Mick’s inbox in seconds. He looks at his mum, and she nods,

“Go to him,” She pats his thigh as he gets up, “Wait Mick, I’ll call his mother, give me her number,” Mick, having met the Ilotts a few times now, puts her number into Corinna’s phone and jogs up the stairs to pack his luggage.

*

Three hours and forty-five minutes later he touches down in Budapest, knee bouncing the entire way through the flight, the wait to see Callum unbearable. Security and baggage are quick and easy, the flight relatively empty and he sees Jack, and a taxi driver, waiting for him in the exit.

“Hi,” Mick breathes, shaking Jack’s hand as they follow the driver to the car, “Any updates?” Jack nods,

“Confirmed he’s got concussion, and nothing is broken. Ian cleared him to fly and he’s resting in his hotel room, but Mr Schumacher-,”

“Mick, please,” Mick smiles tightly, and Jack inclines his head,

“Mick, he’s pretty shaken up. I’m not sure he’s ever been involved in a crash like that before, and you know him, he’s a pretty emotional guy. I’m glad you could come,” Jack tells him as they climb into the car and Mick nods, shoving his luggage in the boot. He’s packed a few outfits for himself, plus some for Callum and some of Callum’s favourite chocolate he keeps in the house. He went by to his apartment to get them before going to the airport.

They reach the hotel quickly, Jack directs him to Callum’s room with a key and he scans himself in and opens the door gently,

“Callum?” He calls out softly, the lamps turned down low and Callum not visible from the door and corridor.

“Mick?” Callum says, deep voice hoarse, he’s facing away from the door, and turns his head over his shoulder to look for him. Mick walks further in, places the suitcase down next to Callum’s,

“It’s me, baby,” He whispers, climbing onto the bed where Callum is lying, putting a hand on his back and rolling him over. Callum blinks his ocean blue eyes to look up at Mick, his pupils blown and looking at Mick in awe, reaching a hand to card the hairs at the bottom of his boyfriend’s head. “You had me scared there for a moment,” He says, looking between Callum’s two eyes, head propped up on his hand and elbow on the bed. Callum bites his lip, looks down,

“I’m not sure I have ever been more scared than that,” Callum confesses, and a tear slips out from his eye, “I just couldn’t do anything, it was completely out of control.” Mick wipes the tear from his cheek with a gentle touch of his thumb. “Also, I wanted to apologise for the other day. Mick I was so out of line and I was just taking out my own anxieties on you, I should’ve listened to what you were saying. I’m really, really, sorry,” Mick smiles at him wetly,

“I’m sorry as well, I did the same, I wasn’t clear about what I wanted. I do want you as a part of my family, and I want you to meet them because of that, I just really want them to like you, I don’t need Switzerland’s approval. Fuck that,”

“Pretty big change of heart?”

“I spoke to my mum, she knocked some sense into me,” Callum giggles,

“They always do,” Mick joins him, pressing his face into Callum’s shoulder. “I love you,” He whispers into the fabric. Callum pulls his face into his and kisses him chastely,

“I love you too, I want to meet your sister,”

“You’re going to love her,” Mick grins, “She’s so mean, just like you,”

“I can’t even deny it, honestly,” Mick laughs at that, dropping his body onto Callum’s side, Callum stretching an arm around him. He moves his mouth to Mick’s ear, “You love it,” He says lowly and gets a punch on his back,

“You cannot have concussion and be horny,” Mick groans,

“I’m always horny when you’re around,” Callum says, taking Mick’s grin from before. Mick rolls away to the other side of the bed,

“I’m not doing anything the doctor hasn’t explicitly said it’s okay to do, if you can’t keep your hands off me, I’ll have to stay over here,” He gives Callum a stern glare, who pouts and scoots nearer to him,

“Fine, I guess I’ll have to manage,” He fake huffs and Mick laughs, pulling Callum’s body into his, letting himself be spooned.

“We can just stay like this until dinner, okay?”

“Perfect,” Callum says, voice muffled on Mick’s shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! im back and here with this. it was meant to be like 2k but here we are. anon, i hoped you liked it. if u have a brilliant idea like anon, feel free to come on over to my [tumblr](https://toofarovertherainbow.tumblr.com/) and pop it in my ask box. 
> 
> much more of this verse still to come!!
> 
> g x


End file.
